work-from-home Archives

How To Stay Active While Working From Home

The dawn of modern technologies allows employees to work remotely. This involves working from home or in a convenient place other than a designated physical business office. All signs indicate that remote working is the future of most businesses, large or small.

There are several benefits of working from home. It enhances work-life balance, eliminates commuting stress, promotes location independence, and reduces office destruction.

However, sometimes working from home causes workers to be lazy and inactive. This leads to minimized productivity.

If you’re working from home, you can remain active by:

Minimizing Your Weight

Working from home allows you the opportunity to rush to the kitchen and pick your preferred snacks and drinks. This means that your stomach will always remain full. Remote working is one of the main reasons most workers practice unhealthy eating.

When you overeat, you can accumulate a lot of weight over time. For that reason, you might not be flexible enough. Besides, you can become tired so quickly. And if not careful, you might end up sleeping without completing the task you’re working on.

Excess weight can also lead to stroke, heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, and gout. All these can affect your productivity. But you can avoid them by minimizing your weight.

You might think that you can lose weight by merely skipping meals. But that isn’t true. You can healthily lose weight without skipping any meal. You only need to develop a suitable strategy to help on your weight loss journey. You can find more information at 28bysamwood.com or other similar sources about weight loss to help you remain active while working from home.

Participating In Physical Activities

Staying on your chair and at a computer for several hours can have severe consequences for your health. It can cause poor blood circulation, increased fatigue, back and neck pains, digestive challenges, etc. When that happens, you won’t be active or productive while working. You could have avoided this by exercising regularly.

Physical exercises help keep your body active and moving. Besides, with practical activities, you can enhance your mental health. This allows you to remain active and focused for an extended period.

Make sure you take part in exercises early in the morning and evening after work. Also, you can consider doing a few activities during tea breaks, lunch hours, and any other time you’re free.

There are several physical exercises you can consider when working from home. These include walking, running, jogging, push-ups, riding a bike, dancing, yoga, triceps dips, and many others. Be sure to identify the proper exercise for your body.

Get Enough Night Sleeps

You all know that sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. For small children, sleep aids in brain development. And for adults, sleep enhances the immune system. Therefore, when you get enough sleep, you’re likely to fight off infections, which could harm your productivity when working from home.

While better sleep is known for boosting the immune system, it can help your body to re-energize. Most body repairs and energy restoration occur when someone is sleeping. This means that when you get enough sleep at night, you’re likely to remain active during the day.

You can do several things to promote your night sleep. These include eating a healthy diet, including exercises in your daily routine, finding effective ways to manage stress, and sticking to a sleeping schedule. You can also enhance your sleep by making your best friend a pillow during the night.

Set Realistic Goals

You must set goals if you want to achieve your work objectives. These are desires you strive to achieve within a specified period. However, you can’t reach some with complete ease. Sometimes such goals are some of the sources of laziness when working. You could have avoided this by setting realistic goals.

The best way to set realistic goals is to break down your significant objectives into smaller chunks. This motivates you to remain active for an extended period. Setting realistic goals will be a good idea to stay functional and complete most of your tasks with less hassle.

Takeaway

Working from home is one of the recent trends in the business world. Most workers prefer it because it promotes their convenience and flexibility. However, sometimes working from home can cause workers to become too lazy and inactive. If you want to remain active and enhance your productivity when working from home, consider the tips explained in this article.

How to Stay Motivated When you’re Working Remotely

Is Monday killing you? Has work from home affecting your mental and physical health. If you dread Monday’s then it’s time you motivate yourself.

Telecommuting has many advantages such as you get to be close to your family, or roommates, or have the luxury of wearing whatever you like and comfort zone of home. The flexibility due to remote working is productive and boosts motivation but it can be distracting too.

With pandemics most of the companies have made work remotely a mandatory option due to lockdown but if you are not able to get into your usual work groove then there are surefire ways to motivate you, and give boost to increase your productivity.

Dedicate space at home for Home Office

Netflix and Chill has become a mantra these days with so many rules and regulations on all other entertaining options. And Netflix available on all the devices that you work on its pull is too enticing.

People enjoy sitting on the couch, watching television, and snacking in the kitchen so let’s face it if you combine the working with any of these favorite home activities then you are not going to be so motivated to get the work done.

As a matter of fact you would want to finish one more episode of your favourite season as you munch on snacks such as popcorn or Doritos. Only to realize that you haven’t worked on the assignment and you put the hours for your rest to work and thus affect your productivity to great extent.

So if you want to get your work done then first and foremost ensure you have space dedicated for your work. The space should be hundred percent free of distractions such as away from television.

You need to have a door that locks you in for privacy and a silent place to work.

Set rules with the family, especially children about your office timing, during the working hours so as not to disturb you. No barging in the middle of the meeting. A corporate office kind of environment should be made.

Make the dedicated room look like an office. Like you have a table, chair, appropriate stationary, easy access to tools and supplies that you would need. Your table is well set with video conferencing equipment, papers, and more.

Decor of the room should be able to inspire you. Display your career awards, achievements and certificates. Room should feel like an office. This will motivate you like the workplace.

In case you have a space crunch, just make sure you are not working at the place where you sleep. The desire to sleep will be more powerful here. That 5 minute nap will keep you off mode from working and you will miss your deadlines.

Renting space or community work space is also a good idea as it has the same benefits of working remotely but few distractions from your home.

Wake up Early

The wish to stay in bed is too much to get out and start working from home.

When you have an office at eight, you are organized in your schedule to wake up, get dressed and leave on time to reach your office.

However with work from home there is a set schedule and desire to stay in bed or work on home projects or watch series is too high.

So it is advisable that you wake up early. Make a schedule. Morning is a good time. Studies have shown that morning people are more productive. They are more in charge of making things happen.

If you are not a morning person then no worries you are not doomed for failure. Night people are known to be more creative and even smarter. So if you know that mornings aren’t going to work for you, then do not try and waste time to be a morning person instead set aside time when you are able to focus best and do best work.

Regular Routine is key

Disorganization will lead to an overwhelming situation and so a better approach is to have a habit or schedule. Determine your working pattern, when you work best, when you need a break or rest, time to eat your meals and so on. Make a checklist of everything you want to accomplish in a day on a daily basis such that you are able to set a routine.

Once a routine is set, and you get into the mode it will be easier for you to stay motivated to accomplish your tasks daily. Achieve set goals as you plan ahead and execute them.

Use technology

Technology is there to make our lives easy. So guess what for this there is productivity software. You are reading it right. You don’t have to handwrite your to do list or memorize your schedule task.

There are several productivity tools or software which help in staying organized.

Examples of such software are Slack, Dropbox, Focus Booster, Asana etc.

These software help in organizing your work schedule, meetings, communication and files placements.

Clothing

Work from home entitles me to have casual Friday everyday doesn’t it? Casual clothes give a casual attitude. It is recommended that you wear custom jeans or office wear at the time of working. It gives a professional feel and motivates me to work. Keep your sweat pants aside and dress up for work. It will boost your confidence, make you feel powerful, and increase your ability to see the big picture. You feel better about yourself and more productive.

Regular breaks and Vacations

Work piles up at times and it feels like you have no escape from it. Working remotely has that burnout effect. The best thing to do to avoid all this is take well calculated and regular breaks. Be away from your desk. Taking breaks helps and plenty of scientific studies have already proven this.

Taking breaks helps better brain function, helps to stay focused and reevaluate the day’s goals. Keeps you on track.

Vital to take vacations as well. You need time to rejuvenate, recover and for that vacation is the best solution. Vacation helps in relaxation, recuperation and when you are back you feel refreshed to work and voila better motivation to work.

Eliminate the distractions

Your personal work space is great but if you still have those distractions such as checking on Instagram, or chatting or spending too much time on Gchat then your work is going to suffer.

The Internet is a huge distraction and so you really need to concentrate and ensure your attention to your work is hundred percent.

Turning off notifications on the phone is the first thing you can do.

Set up Reward System

Simply put if you are able to manage your work, achieve set goals then reward yourself which in turn will push you to work harder as well as be organized.

You can reward yourself as you are your own boss.

Fresh Air is the best remedy. DO go out for a walk. Get some exercise done.

As long as you are focused on the task, work from home is great. Follow the advice and you will have a thriving home office and stay motivated and be highly productive.

How To Keep Your Computer Secure While Working From Home

What’s Norton Error 2048 3 & How to fix it

If you are having a hard time with your computer, you may want to consider repairs for Norton Troubleshoot Error 2048. The Norton Blue Screen of Death is one of the most annoying problems for computers.

If you have experienced this problem on your computer, you know how frustrating it can be. You lose important information, you waste hours searching for it, and in some cases, you might even lose your computer. Fortunately, there are solutions for this problem.

You first need to check your registry. This is the part of your computer, where all of the files are stored, including applications, user profiles, and more.

Because of this, whenever your computer experiences problems, it needs to find the files that are needed to run it, which can cause the blue screen.

If your registry is not working properly, it could be causing your computer to restart or stop responding altogether.

It is a good idea to scan your registry with a quality registry cleaner. This tool will search for all kinds of damaged files, such as missing files and invalid registry keys. If you find any problems with your files, then you can get them fixed before anything else happens to your computer.

Repairing registry manually

Repairing the registry manually is something that is highly dangerous. It can cause permanent damage to your computer if you accidentally delete the wrong file.

You need a professional to do this, which is why you should make sure that you have a high quality registry cleaner on hand before trying to fix the Norton blue screen of death.

One of the biggest reasons why so many people try to fix this problem themselves is because they do not know what they are doing. They think that just by deleting files they can make the problem go away. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

The first thing that you have to do to fix this problem is to remove any cookies or other files that you may have put onto your system recently.

These files tend to hold onto vital information for your PC, and are often the cause of errors. By removing them from your computer you’ll be able to free up the registry database, and improve its performance.

The next thing that you have to do to fix this problem is to use a registry cleaner tool. This will scan through your entire system and remove any of the damaged or corrupted files that are inside it.

You can use this by downloading the software, installing it on your PC, and letting it scan your PC. It will then remove the files that it finds, which should free up your system. After doing this, restart your computer and reinstall the registry cleaner software.

Basic repair method

This is a very basic repair method, but is one of the best ways to fix this problem. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize that there’s a simple cure for any of these common problems – they just assume that their computer will be fixed permanently. This is not the case.

You need to keep a good registry cleaner on hand, and clean your computer of any further problems. However, if you’re patient, you should be able to fix your computer in no time.

How to fix this problem

One of the easiest ways to fix norton error 2048 3 is to download and install a registry cleaning program.

These programs are available from the internet for a reasonable price. They are designed to scan through your entire Windows registry and fix any of the damaged files that are inside there.

These tools work by looking through all the registry files and determining whether they are valid files or not. If they are valid, then they will be fixed, and if they’re not valid, they will be removed.

Many of the registry cleaners that are available are free downloads, which means that you don’t have to spend anything other than a few minutes installing them and running the software.

This is the simplest solution, but is not necessarily the fastest. Many people prefer to use these tools because they are designed to fix one particular problem and leave the rest of the Windows PC in a state of grace.

However, if you want to be able to fix your PC in the most effective way possible, it’s recommended that you look to use software that will identify all the files and errors that your computer has.

This way, you can reinstall the files that are missing, as well as deleting any of the damaged ones. This should resolve the Norton Error 2048 3 problem.

If you’re using Windows and running Windows XP, the Norton Error 2048 error may show up for one of several reasons. First of all, you might not have been fully updated (if you’re on XP at all).

If this is the case, then the new files and settings that your computer requires to run will probably not be able to read. It’s very likely that you’ll just need to repair a couple of registry keys that aren’t working – but don’t worry, you’re not going to need to be a computer whiz to do this! The steps below should hopefully fix this for you…

The first thing you should do is to use a “registry cleaner” to scan through your computer and fix any of the damaged or corrupt settings that are causing problems inside.

A registry cleaner is a software tool that’s been designed to scan through your PC and fix the various errors that it might have inside. Not many people know this, but XP actually has a “registry” – which is basically a directory of all the files & settings that Windows requires to run.

This is the central database for all the software programs on your computer; allowing Windows to “remember” a variety of important settings that your system will require to run.

Unfortunately, many Windows computers seem to leave this database alone and don’t require updating.

This causes all sorts of issues – such as making your computer run slower and with a lot of errors as it struggles to read the files it needs.

To fix this, you just need to use a “registry cleaner” to scan through your computer and fix any of the damaged registry keys that are causing problems.

There are a lot of these tools available online, and most of them are free. We’ve found that a program called “RegCure” is the most effective – as it’s able to find and remove the most registry keys, allowing your computer to run extremely quickly and reliably again.

To use RegCure, you just need to download the tool, install it and then let it scan your PC for errors.

Are you having trouble with your Windows laptop? Have you already tried the usual ways like reinstalling the operating system and various disk defragmenting programs without any success?

The problem with your PC is that it can’t read the files it needs from the hard drive once you install or uninstall a program. So, how to fix Norton error 2048? Read on.

If you are wondering what causes this kind of problem in your computer, it is because the registry is full of unimportant and unwanted information.

When Windows is running, it has to constantly refer to the registry to find the information it needs so that it can perform different tasks. And whenever you install or uninstall a program, your computer can get confused about which information should be kept and transferred to the wrong location.

When this happens, Windows gets real tired and leads your machine to make mistakes.

As you can see, all kinds of problems can arise from this simple mistake. This is why most people think that they can never fix this kind of problem.

But there is actually a simple way to fix this kind of error. And that is by getting a registry cleaner program to clean up your PC.

These are programs that will help you fix all kinds of problems in your computer and help speed it up. So, let’s have a look at how to fix Norton errors.

Registry cleaners have been designed specifically to clean out all the corrupt and damaged files from Windows.

They work by scanning every registry file in your computer and then fixing any of the ones that are broken or damaged. Because of this, your computer will become faster as a result.

When looking for a good registry cleaner, you need to make sure that you get one that works properly.

This is a big problem for a lot of people, who often download free software, only to find out that the program just does not work properly. Always make sure that you get professional software. And that is how to fix Norton errors on your PC.

Guidelines to download a good tool

The first step is to download a good tool from a well known source. A lot of these tools are actually developed by professional companies who want to help their users to fix a few errors on their PC.

Don’t download a free software – this will just cause more damage than good. You will just end up with more problems on your computer.

Once you have downloaded the software, it is time to install it on your PC and how to fix Norton error 2048 3.

Just click on the install program icon on the taskbar. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. And that’s how to fix Norton errors on your PC. Your computer should be able to run smoother and without any more errors as a result.

When you have finally installed the program, it is also time to start hunting for the possible reasons why your PC is showing an error message on the screen. It could be a malware infection, a virus or even a faulty uninstall.

If you know how to fix Norton errors in a step-by-step manner, you won’t have to worry about any possible cause of the problem anymore.

Header Image Source

Do’s and Don’ts to Remember while Making Step and Repeat Banners

Usage of step and repeat banners is a great way to give your brand a boost. As of late, event experiences have become so popular, and people want to share their pictures of themselves participating in such events. You may tap into their motivation and install your step and repeat banner with logo and message printed on it so people will use it to click their images on that background or videos.

Many providers are offering you various choices in step and repeat banners. You have many options to choose online and offline for custom step and repeat banner designing and printing. It is now much easier to explore the offers online and make the comparison instantly to identify the best providers and offers to get hold of one. However, there are a few things to know before you plan to make and install a step and repeat the choice banner.

Size the logo and message properly

Put across your logo noticeably on the step and repeat banner; however, without overpowering it. If the banner is meant to serve as the background of group photos, then you can make the logo larger to make it readable on wider shots. To be ideal, the logo can be printed at the sizes of about 9 to 11 inches in width and 5 to 7 inches in height.

Avoid a cheap finish

Make sure that the material you choose for your step and repeat banner is of superior quality. It is best to choose fabric material that is easy to transport and quick to install at the venue. Also, make sure that your step and repeat banner fixing is sturdy enough that it will not fall on someone. Do not opt for cheap material as people will not prefer to pose for a photograph in front of a step and repeat just for its sake.

Minimize glare

A glossy vinyl step and repeat may reflect the light and spoil the pictures. So, ensure proper lighting to reduce glare in the pictures. So, while choosing material and printing methods, make sure that you keep this anti-glare property in consideration. Vinyl banners also tend to wrinkle and crease over time, increasing the chances of glaring. So, fabric banners could also be a wise choice for step and repeat as these also do not reflect light and are wrinkle-free.

Set your imaginations free

There are no hard and fast rules while you plan for step and repeat banners. You may set your imagination free and develop any ideas to make your step and repeat look stunning. A little more creativity can give a pop to your brand and make it stand out in the crowd. Share your ideas with a professional designer who can also help you envision your imaginations in digital graphics for print.

Follow the guidelines mentioned above and make your step and repeat elegant so that you get your guests to want to share their pictures in your branded backdrop. That way, your brand value and logo reach to masses in minutes, and you get easy brand recognition.

How to Work Up and Wind Down in Your At-home Office

Working from home comes with many benefits. One of the most convenient benefits is the flexibility it offers, allowing a chance to improve on your work-life balance.

However, having a flexible schedule can also be a hindrance to your productivity. Switching to work mode in the morning can be a real struggle, especially knowing that you have the flexibility to work at your own convenient time. The opposite can also happen in the evening where you extend your working hours rather than wind down the day and step away from work.

If you are to be productive working in your home office, you need to be able to step into work at the beginning of your day, charge through your tasks, and sign off at the end of the day. Below are some tips to help you with this.

1. Set specific times for work

As simple as it sounds, setting a specific time to start work prepares your mind in advance. You can struggle for a few days, but eventually, it becomes natural to step into work when that time clocks. Likewise, set an alarm to remind you to switch off from work at a specific time. Make sure that you actually step out. Resist the temptation to start replying to emails or slipping to social media at this time. Assess your day to determine the time that you are most productive and schedule your day around it. If you are not a morning person, you will find yourself struggling through the hours if you set your time in the morning.

2. Have a dedicated office space

At-home office could mean a corner in the living room or bedroom, especially if you have limited space. However, such spaces could be having distractions that are hindering you from working up your day. For instance, working near your bed could be calling you back to sleep in the middle of a workday. If your living room doubles up as a kids’ playroom, you have to deal with the noise. While you can find a workaround to make such workspaces work for you, having a separate room dedicated to work helps. It becomes easier to get geared for the day and remain productive throughout the day.

To create a workspace that puts you in the mindset to be productive at home, you can consider a home addition project to create that designated space in your home, to specifically create an adequate ambiance where you can work up, and wind down in the comforts of your own home.

3. Have a morning ritual

While you can work in your pajamas, taking a shower and changing into proper clothes gives your mind the perception that it is time for work. Additionally, have a morning ritual that boosts your motivation and morale. It could be something you love such as reading a book or taking a short walk. It could also be sharing something you have learned with your colleagues.

4. Set goals for the day

Just looking at the number of tasks you have remaining is a sure recipe to keep you working longer. However, overworking yourself can diminish your productivity the following day.

Set clear goals for the day and reward yourself when you achieve them. Additionally, plan for the next day and remember to prioritize the most important tasks. You will feel at ease knowing that you have a plan to accomplish your tasks, and you won’t feel guilty for ‘abandoning’ work.

5. Ask for clear expectations

One of the worries that come with working from home is whether you are doing enough or whether your managers are pleased with your work. This, in a way, sends you more pressure to work beyond your limits and find it hard to disconnect at the end of the day.

Ask for clear expectations from your managers. It would also not hurt to ask for feedback on your projects. That way, you will have a clear picture of what you are expected to do in a day, and an easier time disconnecting from once you have accomplished them.

6. Plan the next day

Switching from office to home office working has been daunting for most people. Our dynamic daily routine has simply been ‘turned-off’ with the new governmental restrictions due to Covid19. Because of that, in order to have your day as smooth as possible, you need to start planning your day in advance so that you do as much as possible and don’t waste any precious moments. What you can do is, after you finish your work, take 10 minutes of break and simply plan what you are going to do the next day. This, apart from allowing you to relax and contemplate on what you did during the day, will also give you peace of mind by knowing that you have accomplished something big today, and tomorrow it’s a new day with new projects.

7. Treat Yourself

After a long and tiring day, of course, the best way to reward yourself would be a nice treat. Make sure to take frequent and short breaks either for coffee or simply by going out on the balcony to stretch your legs. If you are allowed to go out, make sure to go down to your neighborhood coffee shop and take a coffee. This will be good for you because first, you will conduct some physical activity, and second, you will be able to socialize with some of your neighbors who you probably haven’t seen in a while. Alternatively, if you like to stay at home and not go out, you can probably enjoy a webinar or video that is either a documentary or something funny that will put your mind at ease for a couple of minutes.

Conclusion

There is no one-size-fits-all strategy to work up or wind down your workday when working from home. Everyone has his or her own unique challenges depending on their type of work and circumstances. The above tips give you a place to start. Keep assessing your situation to know what works for you. You will eventually be able to tailor-make your day in a way working up and winding down becomes easier for you.

Header Image Source

About The Author

Eve Romley is a psychologist with 6 years of expertise by profession, but she is really passionate about writing, and always curious to learn new things. In her free time, she likes to explore the outdoors and exercise.

Making money from home – quick tips and tricks to help boost cash quickly

Got some extra time on your hands during lockdown, and want to spend that time productively? Despite being potentially locked indoors, there are a bunch of different things that you can try to put some extra cash in your back pocket each month.

For those that need some inspiration on ways to save up and make some extra money from home, take a look at this quick guide, giving you some tips and tricks to help boost cash quickly.

Clearing out your clutter

Many of us are working from home at the moment, trying to make do with the space that we have and build our own successful work-from-home setups to get the job done as best as possible. Why not make it a little bit easier for ourselves then, and get rid of some of the clutter that might be taking up unnecessary space? Not only have studies shown that a clearer workspace can aid with focus and concentration, with there being less things to distract, but clearing out old stuff that you no longer have a use for can also bag you some extra cash, that can then be funneled back into either savings, or upgrading your home office situation.

With apps like eBay, Gumtree, and even Facebook’s marketplace, it’s easier than ever to sell old furniture and electronics online. All you need to do is download the respective app on your smartphone, take a few decent pictures and add some descriptions, and away you go. If you’re fashion-savvy, many people also use apps like Depop to sell on old clothes, with some people making a fortune from curating their own personal stores to resell old stuff.

Investing for your future

If investment is something that you’re interested in, but haven’t seriously considered before, then what better time than now to start learning about the different ins-and-outs if you’ve got a little bit more time on your hands. The internet offers up a wealth of incredible guides, videos and podcasts on the sorts of things to consider if you’re interested in investing some of your capital, and there is plenty that can help you providing you look in the right places and ensure that you only make the decisions that are right for you. Remember, only you know your personal financial situation, and so shouldn’t always take the advice of others as bond. If you need financial aid or assistance before going ahead and committing to an investment portfolio, perhaps consider contacting a financial advisor.

If you have a larger amount of capital available to safely invest, you might decide to put it into something more substantial, such as property investment, for example. If this is the case, or you’re simply interested in the different developing property investment markets and want to find out more, UK-based firm RWinvest have a ton of informative content that you can jump into, from the best cities around the UK to look into currently – factoring in key things such as student populations and growing regeneration projects – to fully available VR tours of areas close by to featured properties they offer. These different workarounds are just one example of the sorts of solutions that companies are coming up with in lockdown in order to offer viable means to invest in the fall – you just have to know where to look.

8 Things You Need to Know Before Starting a Business From Your Garage

Maybe you lost your job in the pandemic, or perhaps all the uncertainty made you think, “I wouldn’t have to worry about being let go if I ran the company.” Whatever your reasons, you’ve decided to start a business from home.

If you intend to start a business from your garage, follow best practices to create a comfortable, ergonomic environment where you can fully engage and focus. You’ll also navigate a sea of legal requirements and decisions, and tweak your methods to reach ultimate success.

Here are eight considerations to keep in mind while building your business.

1. Ergonomics

How comfortable do you feel at your desk? If your response is, “not very,” guess what? You won’t feel motivated to do the work it takes to build a successful company if your workspace gives you backaches and migraines.

If your spine screams for help after 30 minutes of sitting, consider a variable-height desk.

One 2016 study by Texas A&M University shows that such models increase productivity by as much as 50%. You can invest in blue-light-cutting glasses or switch your devices to twilight mode to prevent this wavelength from triggering head pain and nausea.

2. Climate Control

Part of your complete comfort involves temperature. If you’re working out of a garage, you need climate control.

You can extend the HVAC from your principal residence, although doing so can cost a pretty penny.

Using a window air conditioner is a less expensive option, and it can also be the most effective method, too. As a bonus, you’ll run your central air less often because you won’t leak heat whenever you open the door leading to your home.

3. Creating a Business Plan

Have you heard the old saying about failing to plan? You need a roadmap to success, and a solid business plan is the best way to chart your course and win investors’ trust.

If you’ve never written one before, have no worries. You can download a free template online and fill in the blanks. Once you write your plan, allow a family member or friend — or, better yet, a trusted mentor — to read and identify any potential blind spots. If you feel that starting from scratch isn’t the right path for you, you could consider investing in a franchise instead. This way, you can rely on the franchisor’s expertise and know-how, and you’ll also be able to achieve a work-life balance by doing what you truly love. For example, if you love dogs, you could start a dog training business. Working from home requires minimal capital, and your setup doesn’t have to be anything fancy either, as you never meet with clients in your home setting.

4. Obtaining Appropriate Licenses

While you don’t need to reserve a doing-business-as, or DBA, it’s wise to do so for your company. This registration often costs less than $50, and it protects you from competitors using your business name — with sometimes disastrous results.

You may need profession-specific licensure as well. If you hope to sell health insurance, you’ll need to get licensed for health, accident and life insurance. If you want to run a margarita truck, you’ll require a liquor license.

5. Selecting Your Corporate Structure

You can hang out a shingle and begin doing work as a sole proprietor. However, if someone sues you, you could lose your family home — this business structure does not limit liability to professional resources.

You can form a single-member LLC to separate business and personal assets in the event of a lawsuit. This structure has the advantage of letting you add more members later — they will share in the protection.

6. Planning for Tax Time

When you work for an employer, your HR department takes care of withholding your Social Security, Medicare and income taxes. However, when you work for yourself, you earn a second job title as an accountant.

Invest in a software program like QuickBooks Self-Employed to keep accurate records of income and expenses. Since the U.S. has a pay-as-you-go income-tax system, you’ll need this data to file your quarterlies and your end-of-year return.

7. Building Your Client Base

What kind of customers do you hope to serve? If you responded, “the kind who pay me,” how will you target those individuals?

Here’s where you have to get creative. If you have a service-oriented industry like carpet cleaning, you can do door-to-door flyers relatively inexpensively. You can also approach other local business owners to inquire about their needs. If you intend to walk dogs for a living, advertise someplace pet people frequent — like bulletin boards at Humane Societies and dog parks.

8. Evaluating Your Strategy and Planning for Growth

Once you finish your first quarter, take time to reflect on your successes and pitfalls. What went well, and what fell flat? Resist the urge to dwell on failures. Instead, think of them as detour signs on the highway to success. They offer valuable insight as to when you need to change direction.

Start a Successful Business From Your Garage With the Right Know-How and Tips

In today’s economy, it pays to work for yourself. If you want to start a successful business from your garage, use the tips above to build your destiny.